LISMORE WIN’S FIFTH SENIOR CAMOGIE COUNTY TITLE IN SEVEN YEARS

Lismore’s bid to win a second All-Ireland Club Camogie All-Ireland Final in three years remains on track after they beat great rival’s Saint Anne’s this afternoon (Saturday) to win a fifth County Senior Camogie Final in seven years.

Lismore who reached the All-Ireland Final in March of this year against Piltown at Croke Park will know that along the way they had to use up some amount of luck, most notably in the county final against Saint Anne’s at Fraher Field when Saint Anne’s had what looked to be a legitimate score ruled out which had it being awarded we will never know what might have happened.

Lismore over the hour in this game were the better team and were deserved winners of the game, but they will know that for the second year in a row they used up a fair amount of luck to beat their fierce rivals.

There might be a degree of luck to the only goal of this game for Saint Anne’s but it could also be pointed out that they were more than unlucky at other times over the course of the hour as once in each half they hit the woodwork and also had a penalty eleven minutes from normal time narrowly to the wrong side of the post.

There was no such award for this game but had their being a Player of the Game award to present at this game, then Aoife Hannon would have been a very worthy winner.

Watched on by the now Waterford Senior Camogie Selectors from the stand, they cannot but have been impressed by the Lismore club player and will surly be trying to get her into their set up when the side returns to training in the very near future ahead of next years National League which is set to commence in the spring.

The Lismore player finished the game with nine points behind her name on the scoresheet, fix of which came from placed balls, (4 frees and 2 ‘45’s) and three from play.

2015 All-Ireland winning captain Caithriona McGlone also impressed for the winners in this game as she finished the game with four points behind her name, all from play.

Lismore opened the scoring in this game on three minutes when Ruth Geoghegan split the posts, but it could have been wiped out almost straight away and would have but for the woodwork which came to the defence of Lismore as Zoe O’Donoghue crashed the ball off the crossbar with Tanya Morrissey in the Lismore goal beaten.

Aoife Hannon extended Lismore’s lead on nine minutes when she hit the first of her nine scores, putting over a free.

Zoe O’Donoghue hit Saint Anne’s first score of the game on twelve minutes but it was cancelled out a minute later by Shona Curran who restored a two point advantage on the score board for Lismore.

However, by twenty three minutes the sides were tied at three points each after Jennie Simpson put over a brace of frees in a four minute spell.

Aoife Hannon put Lismore back in front with a point from play on twenty four minutes but it was wiped out three minutes later when a shot from Pauline Cunningham from the stand side of the field about 30 minutes out dipped almost at the last second as it appeared to be going over Tanya Morrissey’s crossbar and fell into the net.

Caithriona McGlone made it a one point game two minutes from the break when she put over first of the game, but Saint Anne’s would go to the dressing rooms at the break after Jennie Simpson put over a free in first half added time.

Trailing 1-4 to 0-5 at the break, Lismore came out for the second half a much different outfit.

Aoife Hannon in the first minute of the half drew an excellent save from Rebecca Kavanagh in the Saint Anne’s goal, but a minute later she made no mistake in reducing Saint Anne’s lead to one when she put over a free and on thirty three minutes the sides were level after Caithriona McGlone hit her second of the game.

Aoife Hannon went for a goal from a twenty metre free seven minutes after the restart but her shot was deflected out for a ’45 and from the resulting stroke just to the left of the uprights, Aoife Hannon again split the Saint Anne’s posts./

The same player gave Lismore a two point cushion on thirty nine minutes when she put between the posts from play and two minutes later Lismore’s lead was further stretched when Caithriona McGlone again found the range.

Trailing 0-10 to 1-4 at the end of the third quarter, Saint Anne’s hit their first score of the second half on forty-six minutes when Niamh Rockett split the posts to leave just two between the sides. This however was as good as it got for Saint Anne’s.

Aoife Hannon extended Lismore’s lead again on forty seven minutes when she again put a free over the head of Rebecca Kavanagh in the Saint Anne’s goal.

Saint Anne’s got a major chance of wiping out Lismore’s lead again eleven minutes from time. Jennie Simpson smashed a terrific shot in the direction of the Lismore goal who were defending the river end of the ground. Tanya Morrissey in the Lismore goal made an excellent save, but in an attempt to clear the ball from their crowded goal area, one of the Lismore players was judged to have thrown the ball which was spotted by referee John Kirby who awarded a penalty.

Jennie Simpson was given responsibility of striking from the twenty metre line at a three woman wall on the Lismore line and while she connected well with the sliotar her effort went just to the left had side of the left post as she looked on.

Another brace of points from placed balls by Aoife Hannon inside a minute of each other extended Lismore’s lead to five with seven minutes still to play.

Jennie Simpson from a free and Aoife Hannon from play exchanged scores with five minutes left to keep Lismore five in front.

The brilliant Aoife Hannon landed her ninth point of the afternoon three minutes from time, but Saint Anne’s refused to throw in the towel and in the time that remained, they mounted pressure on the Lismore goal.

Jennie Simpson in the first minute of added time smashed the ball off the upright about half way between the ground and crossbar and as the ball came back into play it was cleared by Lismore.

The same player in the third minute of added time hit her fifth score of the afternoon when she put over a free to leave four between the sides but this was to prove to be their last score of the game.

Lismore however knowing how a four point lead could be wiped out with just two strikes of the ball went down the field and ensured that if Saint Anne’s did get any other chances they would wake it harder for them as five minutes into stoppage time, most of which was clocked up following an injury to Gráinne Kenneally, Caithriona McGlone rounded off a good performance for her with a her fourth score of the afternoon.

Lismore now must wait and see who comes out from the game between the Intermediate Champions of Cork and Tipperary in their next game.

Interestingly, this will be the last time (hopefully) for a long number of years where the Waterford Senior Champions will play in the Munster Intermediate Club Championship after Waterford won the right to contest the Senior Intercounty Championship from next year after the counties recent win over Kildare in the All-Ireland final at Croke Park.

Lismore: Tanya Morrissey; Marie Russell, Shauna Prendergast, Sarah Coughlan; Aoife Houlihan, Shauna Kiernan, Johanna Houlihan; Shona Curran, Gráinne Kenneally; Aoife Houlihan, Caithriona McGlone, Emma Power; Ruth Geoghegan, Nicola Morrissey, Jennifer Kingston. Subs: Sarah Geoghegan for Johanna Houlihan, Ellen Curran for Jennifer Kingston.

Scorers: Aoife Hannon 0-9 (4f, 2 45), Caithriona McGlone 0-4, Shona Curran, Ruth Geoghegan 0-1 each.

Saint Anne’s: Rebecca Kavanagh; Aisling Keating, Labhaoise Dunbarr, Niamh Behan; Saoirse Bonner, Claire Whyte, Mairead Murphy; Claire Murphy, Charlotte Raher; Sibéal Harney, Jennie Simpson, Pauline Cunningham; Zoe O’Donoghue, Niamh Rockett, Michelle McDonald. Sub: Bronwyn Grace for Niamh Behan.

Scorers: Jennie Simpson 0-5 (5f), Pauline Cunningham 1-0, Niamh Rockett (f), Zoe O’Donoghue 0-1 each.

Referee: Joh Kirby.